A raccoon reaches into a cylinder to get marshmallows during a recent experiment.

Photograph by Lauren Stanton

In the new study, the researchers presented captive raccoons with a cylinder containing a floating marshmallow that was too low to grab. Next, they showed the raccoons how dropping stones in the water would raise the marshmallow.

Two of the eight raccoons successfully repeated the behavior, dropping the stones to get the marshmallow. A third took matters into her own hands: She climbed onto the cylinder and rocked it until it tipped over, giving her access to the sweet treat.

“That was something we hadn’t predicted,” and indeed, had designed against, says study leader Lauren Stanton, a Ph.D. student at the University of Wyoming.

“It reaffirms how innovative and how creative they are in problem-solving.”

Adorable Raccoon Babies Make Human FriendWatch three adorable and playful baby raccoons befriend a man on a fishing trip.

Raccoon Superpower

In another experiment, the same eight raccoons were given balls that would sink or float. The scientists thought their subjects would use the sinking balls to displace the water.

The floating ball shouldn’t work, “unless you’re a raccoon, and can turn a non-functional object into a functional object,” says study co-author Sarah Benson-Amran, director of the Animal Behavior and Cognition Lab at the University of Wyoming.

One literally put his own spin on things, seeming to "spin the ball in place" and eating the marshmallow that collected on the ball, Stanton says.

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The Eurasian jay is a type of corvid that has passed the Aesop's Fable test.

Photograph by Willi Rolfes, Minden Pictures, Nat Geo Image Collection

In solving such tasks, raccoons “use their own particular superpower, their sensitive and agile hands, to explore the world,” notes MacDonald, who wasn't involved in the new study. (See "Raccoon Gives Birth in the Backseat of a Camaro.")

Researchers such as MacDonald, Stanton, and Benson-Amran are studying these common backyard animals—often considered a nuisance—to understand more about their behavior and ideally lessen conflicts with people.

Creative Uses for Pee

Watch: Clever Raven Outsmarts A Trash Can

Filmed in Haines, Alaska, this bird uses its problem-solving abilities to unlatch the top of the can and fling it to the ground.

Though the raccoons didn't necessarily excel at the Aesop's Fable test, they did show incredibly innovative approaches.